swimmin'

Swinsuit shopping last year was a matter of baiting the hook. I was single until August. However, I wanted to make sure to whet his appetite...well...as much as a woman-pushing-40-with-stretch-marks possibly can. (I just typed that confession on the public internet. Oh, dear.)
Last year, I wore a bikini.
This year, I am looking at swimwear with an eye to profound modesty. I have a daughter, see, and swimwear should cover her knees to neck.
Ah, what a little perspective can do.

I think that swimwear can really track the course of a woman's life.

There's that heady rush of independance as a teen, when we women realize the power of cleavage...and the bikini becomes a way of flexing our muscle (so to speak). My daughter will not be allowed, of course.

Then, as a young mom, modesty becomes a practical matter. I remember looking for swimwear I could nurse the baby in, without feeling fat and potpartum. That was swimwear with a batik pattern, meant to dizzy anyone brazen enough to look for long.

Once the kids were older, and I'd lost the baby fat, I found that gravity had come to stay...and I discovered Land's End. Their swimwear costs a fortune and provides support. I had a "swimdress" that I could have played tennis in without a blush.

And then,

and then....

I decided that no one was looking anyway, so why not get some sun? I bought a bikini (well-supported and overpriced). And I relaxed a lot. My stretched- out stomach faced UV rays for the first time since the late '80's.

I met Tim. All of a sudden, I had swimwear for swimming with my friends (bikini) and swimwear for Tim's pool (swimdress). I was modest right up until he expressed interest, and shared his Prince Album collection.

....Have you heard Prince? I started buying string bikinis.

And then, I had a daughter.

What am I going to wear this Summer? No idea. But I know what my girl is going to wear this Summer. There will be exactly NO cleavage. Swim Dress, baby.